The North Texas Jellystone focuses on Winter Texans after summer’s and fall’s family focus.

At Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts across the northern tier of the U.S., Yogi Bear and Boo Boo typically hibernate for the winter sometime in November and don’t wake up until young campers return with their families in the spring.

But that’s not the case at the North Texas Jellystone in Burleson, which is open year round, according to a written announcement from Jellystone franchisor Leisure Systems Inc. (LSI).

So instead of offering children-oriented activities, North Texas Jellystone Park focuses on entertaining adults, specifically Winter Texans who are hoping to avoid hibernating in the frozen north.

“We are developing a growing array of activities and special events to keep our Winter Texans and other winter visitors entertained,” Stafford said.

New for the 2014-2015 winter season will be live country music performances on Nov. 7-8 and 14-15 and Christmas parties on Dec. 18-19 with food, live music and hay rides through Christmas lights in the park.

Stafford is also organizing a murder mystery weekend and a Civil War re-enactment weekend as well as a craft beer weekend and chili and steak cook-off weekends.

In the meantime, however, the North Texas Jellystone Park will continue its focus on children and families with a series of pre-Halloween-themed weekends from Oct. 3 to Nov. 2 that include campsite decorating and costume competitions, magic pumpkin patches, haunted walking trails and trick or treating. Other activities include arts and crafts and paintball.

The Pirate’s Cove waterpark in Burleson, Texas, is producing a big boost in business for North Texas Jellystone Park Camp-Resort, which is located next door.

“Business has just been incredible, just incredible,” said Steve Stafford, general manager of North Texas Jellystone Park Camp-Resort, which opened the Pirate’s Cove family entertainment center on May 4.

“People have been coming from just 10 or 20 miles away to camp just so they can visit Pirate’s Cove,” Stafford stated in a news release.

The surge in business has not only filled Jellystone Park’s 235 campsites, but its rental accommodations as well. The campground has 37 cabins as well as 18 RV rentals.

“We had weekends where we had every RV rental and every cottage full,” Stafford said.

Pirate’s Cove features a 26,000-square-foot, 36-foot high interactive water play park with seven waterslides plus interactive features, including a pirate-themed structure, a floating lily pad, a ropewalk, 28 cabanas and an activity pool.

The entertainment complex also has a 13,500-square-foot family entertainment center called Pirate’s Cove Fun Zone. It includes a 28-foot climbing structure, mini bowling, laser tag, a froghopper ride and more than 40 interactive and arcade games.

Pirate’s Cove includes both wet and dry play areas as well as a food court with varied menu options.

Now that summer is ending, Pirate’s Cove is open only on weekends through the end of September. But Stafford said Pirate’s Cove will likely open again for Spring Break before resuming normal operations in May.

Meanwhile, the Burleson campground is planning a series of late summer and fall activities to keep its guests entertained. Weekend activities will include a Wild West themed weekend Sept. 28-30 with performances by a trick roping team as well as the Texas Old Time Fiddlers Association.

Every weekend in October will also have Halloween themed events, including magic pumpkin patch activities, costume contests, a barrel train, haunted “hey, hey, hey” rides as well as “Scaryoke Karaoke” activities. Other onsite activities include arts and crafts, movies and story times with Yogi. Friday activities will include trick or treating in the park and a campfire with s’mores and a “hey, hey, hey” ride to a haunted hill to see a scary movie

Launched in 1969, the Jellystone Park system is the second largest chain of campgrounds in the United States, boasting 78 campgrounds with more than 15,000 campsites in 30 states and Canada. Its camp-resorts are among the best campgrounds in the industry with a quality reputation for being fun, friendly, clean and service-oriented parks. Additionally, each Jellystone Park is themed with Yogi Bear elements providing instant recognition and consumer appeal. It is truly a place “Where You Camp With Friends.” Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts are franchised through Leisure Systems, Inc. (LSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Park River Corp, Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information, visit www.campjellystone.com

With gas prices climbing, Burleson, Texas, hopes to cash in on those who decided to have a staycation when the city’s first water park opens.

Pirate’s Cove is scheduled to open May 4 next to the North Texas Jellystone Park Camp-Resort, the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported.

Steve Stafford, general manager for North Texas Jellystone, which is developing the new water park, said he expects to fill 30 to 40 part-time and full-time positions from lifeguards to cooks.

“We did research on parks with some type of water amenities. We traveled around and did a lot of talking to people,” he said.

Bradley Ford, Burleson’s economic development director, said that although half the park is outside the city limits, the community will still benefit. Ford said the park will probably draw more visitors to Burleson’s hotels and restaurants.

“We are excited about what this will mean for Burleson, as we hope more dollars will be spent locally,” Ford said. “Because of the high gas prices, we are expecting more people to take staycations.”

Stafford, who was helping check in spring break campers during an interview, said the main idea behind the water park is to boost lodging at the camp and resort next door.

In addition to campsites for tents and recreational vehicles, there are 17 luxury cottages, Stafford said.

Pirate’s Cove, a 4-acre play and entertainment area, has a 26,000-square-foot, 36-foot-high water play park with seven water slides plus interactive features, including a pirate-themed structure, a floating lily pad, a rope walk, 28 cabanas and an activity pool.

Pirate’s Cove Fun Zone, a 13,500-square-foot entertainment center next to the water park, will have a 28-foot climbing structure, mini-bowling, laser tag, a froghopper ride, and more than 40 interactive and arcade games.

Stafford said he sees Pirate’s Cove as a win-win project for everyone.

“Burleson has been very kind to us,” he said. “We want to push business into the city.”

Artist's drawing of the Pirate's Cove waterpark to open this spring at the Jellystone Park in Burleson, Texas.

Pirate’s Cove, the first waterpark in Burleson, Texas, is scheduled to open May 4 next to the North Texas Jellystone Park Camp-Resort.

“We’re pretty excited about it,” said Steve Stafford, general manager of the North Texas Jellystone, which is developing the 4-acre family entertainment center, which includes both wet and dry play areas as well as a food court with varied menu options.

According to a news release, Pirate’s Cove features a 26,000-square-foot, 36-foot high interactive water play park with seven waterslides plus interactive features, including a pirate-themed structure, a floating lily pad, a ropewalk, 28 cabanas and an activity pool.

The entertainment complex also has a 13,500-square-foot family entertainment center called Pirate’s Cove Fun Zone. It includes a 28-foot climbing structure, mini bowling, laser tag, a froghopper ride and more than 40 interactive and arcade games.

The Pirate’s Cove waterpark is open to the public for a nominal admission price, while the Pirate’s Cove Fun Zone and food court can be visited without an admission charge.

“We want to be able to cater to the needs of waterpark enthusiasts as well as people who simply want to drop by and have a place for their children to play or enjoy a meal without getting wet,” Stafford said.

The Pirate’s Cove entertainment complex will also provide special rates for organized activities for birthday parties, schools, churches and clubs. “We’re trying to provide a place for clean, wholesome family fun,” Stafford said.

Pirate’s Cove is also expected to provide a boost to the local economy. Stafford said applications are being accepted for 30 to 40 full- and part-time positions, including lifeguards, cooks, food servers, security and maintenance personnel. Interested job applicants are encouraged to email their resumes to info@piratescove.com.